The new Barclays Premier League season is well under way and after an explosive start on the opening weekend, it’s fair to say last week was a bit of a let down. 6 of the 10 fixtures finished with just the 1 goal or less, including the eagerly anticipated Man United v Chelsea clash, which couldn’t have been more of a let down. But onwards the season must go, and there are some more appetising fixtures this weekend, including the North London derby and another fierce rivalry between Liverpool and Man United.
Here is a preview of all the weekends fixtures, along with my prediction of how they will turn out:
Man City v Hull City (12:45pm)
Hull will be in high spirits going into this one after claiming their first three points of the season last weekend against Norwich. Despite the winner coming from the penalty spot, the Tigers deserve some credit for keeping Norwich at bay with 10 men for the majority of the match following the dismissal of Yannick Sagbo midway through the first half.
This weekend, they have a considerably tougher task as they travel to title contenders Man City. The Blues suffered a humiliating defeat to newly promoted Cardiff last week, and will be looking to bounce back with a win. City fans would have been relieved to see Matija Nastasic on the subs bench last week after an atrocious defensive display in South Wales, and the Serbian should start Saturday’s encounter. Joe Hart needs to up his game in this one too before the home crowd start getting on his back after an unimpressive outing last weekend.
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
Prediction: Home win
Cardiff City v Everton
This will be a difficult game for both teams and will most likely end up stale mate. Cardiff will go into another home game full of confidence after shocking everyone will a sensational victory over Man City last weekend.
Their opponents, Everton, will be looking to claim their first win of the season after 2 largely underwhelming draws against Norwich and West Brom. The Toffees should be wary of Cardiff’s threat up front, with last weeks hero Fraser Campbell looking to bag more goals and Welshman Craig Bellamy seeking to score for his 7th team in the top division.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Prediction: Draw
Newcastle United v Fulham
The pressure is already on Newcastle boss Alan Pardew after just 2 games. There was little they could do in week 1 against a rampant Man City team, but last week was a golden opportunity to pick up 3 points against a West Ham side who struggled away from home last season.
Worryingly, the Magpies are also yet to score going into week 3, with star striker Papiss Cisse so far failing to make an impact. It’s another home game this week for Pardew’s men, and one they should win. The visitors on Saturday, Fulham, got off to a promising start but suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal. This is a winnable game for them, and Martin Jol’s team may just cause Alan Pardew more problems.
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside)
Prediction: Home win
Norwich City v Southampton
Chris Hughton should be worried after watching his side fail to score against ten man newly promoted opposition last weekend. But there are some positives to take from the opening fortnight of the season. One of them being star signing Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, who is already off the mark and will undoubtedly cause Southampton a few problems on Saturday.
The Saints have started their campaign brightly and already have 4 points on the board. Furthermore, they have signed a highly sought after striker in Pablo Osvaldo who made his debut on Saturday. Pochettino’s team play some lovely football and could be the surprise package this season.
Referee: Howard Webb (South Yorkshire)
Prediction: Draw
West Ham United v Stoke City
The two most physical (or dirty, as some would say) teams in the division go head to head this weekend at the Boleyn Ground. West Ham are yet to concede a goal so far the season and, to be honest, I can’t see Stoke changing that on Saturday.
The Potters are short on strikers, and their 2 goals so far this season have come from a defender and midfielder, who aren’t going to find the back of the net every weekend. I worry for Stoke, especially if they start changing their style of play which the players have become so accustomed to under previous boss Tony Pulis.
Referee: Jon Moss (West Yorkshire)
Prediction: Home win
Crystal Palace v Sunderland (5:30pm)
Palace really are desperately unlucky to still be pointless going into week 3 – they lost to a penalty against Spurs and deserved at least a point against Stoke last weekend. They had a lot of positives to take from last weekend especially. Arguably most importantly is that new signing Marouane Chamakh scored his first Premier League goal for the club. He could be key for they this year if he refinds his form.
On Saturday evening, Palace host Sunderland, who have had a fairly average start to the season. The Black Cats started well last weekend with an early goal within the opening 5 minutes, but Di Canio’s side failed to close the game and ended up conceding a late equaliser.
Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)
Prediction: Draw
Liverpool v Man United (Sunday, 1:30pm)
Sunday’s lunchtime kick off sees Liverpool host bitter rivals Man United. Liverpool boast a 100% record so far with two 1-0 wins of Stoke and Aston Villa. This is their first real ‘challenge’ of the season and it will be interesting to see how Brendan Rodgers team fare.
United will be looking to get back to winning ways after a dull 0-0 draw will fellow title rivals Chelsea on Monday night. It now appears that Wayne Rooney has decided he wants to stay at Old Trafford and he put in a decent showing in front of the United faithful on Monday night.
The Red Devils should be wary of Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, who has started the season on fire and will be looking to add to his goal tally this weekend. Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet will equally be asked a few questions by the likes of Robin Van Persie and will do very well to keep a third consecutive clean sheet.
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
Prediction: Away win
West Bromwich Albion v Swansea City (Sunday, 3pm)
On a day when 2 huge footballing rivalries go head-to-head with Man United taking on Liverpool and Arsenal hosting Tottenham, this game will be overshadowed but could still provide a degree of entertainment.
West Brom will be looking to pick up their first 3 points of the season after a loss and a draw in their opening 2 fixtures. Swansea have also had an underwhelming start to the new campaign and have fared even worse than the Albion, losing both of their opening encounters, though they did face tough opposition in Man United and Tottenham.
Referee: Mike Dean (Merseyside)
Prediction: Draw
Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (Sunday, 4pm)
Only three weeks in and this is already the third London derby of the season. Arsenal’s week has been very up and down, starting brightly with a comfortable 3-1 win over Fulham. But the Gunners have since been dealt a double blow after it emerged Lukas Podolski, who netted twice last weekend, would be out for 10 weeks and that Wenger’s men would face Napoli and last seasons runners up Borussia Dormund in the group stage of the Champions League.
North London rivals Tottenham have enjoyed a relatively comfortable start to the season with two wins, though the fact they haven’t actually scored from open play yet may be cause for concern. It’s likely Arsenal and Spurs will be fighting it out for that 4th spot again this season, meaning this game could prove vital come the end of the season.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
Prediction: Draw
View the full referee appointments here
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